What To Expect When Experiencing Hearing Loss

Hearing loss impacts your day-to-day life. From communication challenges to altered soundscapes, it’s easy to feel stressed and frustrated. Understanding what to expect during this process is crucial for fostering positivity and embracing solutions. At Nano Hearing Aids, we’re dedicated to helping people just like you navigate hearing loss. Read on to find out what you can expect during this process, and how you can take the steps necessary to improve your hearing health. What Is Hearing Loss? Hearing loss is the partial or complete inability to hear sounds as you did before. This deterioration of your hearing system can occur at any age, resulting from factors like: Genetics Aging Exposure to loud noises Earwax buildup Infections Underlying health conditions Hearing loss can manifest as struggling to identify faint sounds, difficulty understanding speech, or a complete loss of hearing. Consequently, someone with hearing loss may struggle to communicate and understand the world around them. Though hearing loss typically can’t be reversed, there are treatments that improve quality of life. Hearing healthcare professionals can help by recommending and providing interventions like hearing aids, cochlear implants, or other assistive devices. Types of hearing loss There are three different types of hearing loss. Depending on which type you experience, you can expect differing outcomes and impacts. Here are the three types of hearing loss outlined: 1 Conductive Hearing Loss: Conductive hearing loss occurs when something prevents sound waves from reaching the inner ear or middle ear. What It Feels Like: If you have conductive hearing loss you may experience muffled or blocked sounds. It can feel like sounds are not reaching your ears properly, as if you have earplugs in. 2 Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Sensorineural hearing loss is caused by damage to the inner ear or auditory nerve. In rare cases, loss of hearing can onset rapidly through sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL). What It Feels Like: If you’re experiencing this type of hearing loss you may struggle to identify faint sounds or struggle to hear high-pitched tones. It may feel like certain sounds are unclear or distorted. 3 Mixed Hearing Loss: As the name might suggest, mixed hearing loss is a combination of both conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. What It Feels Like: You can experience a combination of the symptoms associated with conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. This includes the sensation of muffled sounds and difficulty hearing certain frequencies. Stages of Hearing Loss As well as the types of hearing loss, you can also experience different stages of hearing loss. Each stage affects how deeply your hearing loss impacts your life. Mild Difficulty hearing soft or faint sounds. This can make conversations difficult, especially when background noise is present. As a result, you may experience more misunderstandings than you did before. Moderate Soft and moderately loud sounds become difficult to hear. You may find yourself turning up the volume often or withdrawing from social interactions. Severe Hearing sounds of various loudness and frequency is difficult. You may start to rely on lip-reading and visual cues. Lack of easy social interaction often leads to feelings of loneliness and isolation. Profound Very limited to no hearing. At this stage, you’ll need to primarily rely on sign language, lip-reading, or cochlear implants As hearing loss can be a progressive experience, it’s important to address it in the early stages. This ensures your best quality of life going forward. However, there will always be ways to treat your hearing loss, regardless of the stage you’re experiencing. How Hearing Loss Impacts Your Daily Life Hearing loss can impact your daily life in many different ways. If you want to know whether or not you’re experiencing hearing loss, consider these common symptoms: Difficulty Understanding Spoken Words: When in noisy situations or areas with a lot of background noise, you may struggle to understand conversations. Often, you’ll find yourself hearing the wrong word or misunderstanding a sentence. Frequently Requesting Repetition: You might find yourself needing to ask others to repeat themselves or speak louder. Turning Up the Volume: Electronic devices like TVs and radios may start sounding too quiet, requiring you to turn up the volume. Difficulty Having Phone Conversations: You might struggle to hear the person on the other end of the line during phone conversations. Unable to Hear High-Pitched Sounds: High-pitched sounds can be especially hard to hear. This includes singing birds, insect buzzing, whistles, and certain instruments. Ringing in Your Ears (Tinnitus): You may experience discomfort from persistent ringing or buzzing in your ears. Lack of Balance and Dizziness: Feeling off-center or dizzy are also common side effects of hearing loss. Fatigue or Stress: Straining to hear day to day is often mentally and physically exhausting, leading to increased stress or fatigue. Avoiding Social Activities: Due to communication difficulties, you might start withdrawing from social gatherings or activities. If you experience hearing loss, you can experience all or just some of these daily impacts and symptoms. Hearing loss is different for everyone, and it’s important to take notice of what you’re experiencing. That way, you can seek proper treatment. Exploring Hearing Loss Solutions Hearing loss can be an uncomfortable and stressful experience, but there are many ways you can alleviate symptoms. Here are some effective ways you can start your hearing loss treatment journey today: Seeking Professional Help If you’re worried that you might be experiencing hearing loss, you should speak with a hearing healthcare professional. These professionals can help by giving you a hearing test, discussing treatment options, and answering questions. First, completing a hearing test will help confirm the level of hearing loss you’re experiencing. With this information, your hearing healthcare professional can then recommend the best course of action. If they decide that hearing aids are the right solution, you can get a prescription and schedule a future fitting appointment. Trying OTC Hearing Aids Over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids can also be a great way to address and alleviate hearing loss. Through reliable providers like Nano Hearing Aids, you’ll have access to a variety of devices that can be fitted to your ears. Generally speaking, OTC hearing aids are the fastest, easiest, and most affordable method of addressing mild or moderate hearing loss. Community Support One of the best methods of managing hearing loss is fostering community support. Don’t be ashamed to confide in your friends and family members about your challenges. Let them know what they can do to help support you. This is especially important during the process of adapting to new hearing aids, as supportive loved ones can help you cope with new changes. Hearing Loss FAQ Is hearing loss common? Yes, hearing loss is common. 10% of Americans have some degree of hearing loss, and that number jumps to nearly 50% for those 75 and older. For many, hearing loss is a normal part of aging, and should be addressed as any other physical ailment would be. Why am I experiencing hearing loss? You might be experiencing hearing loss for a variety of reasons. It can be caused by: Genetics Aging Exposure to loud noises Earwax buildup Infections Underlying health conditions Though hearing loss can be the result of countless loud concerts or continual noise exposure from a former occupation, much of the time it’s the natural result of the aging process. Are hearing aids an effective treatment for hearing loss? Yes, prescription and OTC hearing aids can be an effective treatment for hearing loss, depending on the severity. These treatment options work best for those with mild or moderate hearing loss, and can help people hear and identify difficult sounds. Keep in mind that using a hearing aid for the first time is a new and unfamiliar experience. It takes time for your ears to adapt to a new method of taking in sound. Once adapted and after wearing hearing aids regularly you’ll have a much easier time understanding conversations, identifying high-pitched sounds, and more. Address Your Hearing Loss With OTC Hearing Aids If you’re experiencing hearing loss and are seeking treatment options, look no further. At Nano Hearing Aids, we’re eager to provide you with the best OTC hearing aids on the market. Our hearing aids come in various strengths and sizes to help you achieve a comfortable auditory experience. After acclimating, you can begin to enjoy conversations and phone calls with your loved ones once more! So, if you’re interested in changing your life for the better with our OTC hearing aids, you can get started on our website, or contact us at (888) 310-6266.

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What To Expect When Experiencing Hearing Loss

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